Counterfeit Card Alert: 1967 Topps Baseball #581 Bill Denehy/Tom Seaver

The 1967 Topps Baseball set has plenty of Hall of Fame firepower: #150 Mickey Mantle, #200 Willie Mays, #250 Hank Aaron, #400 Roberto Clemente, #600 Brooks Robinson. But the most valuable card in the set is the #581 Bill Denehy/Tom Seaver Mets Rookies card. (You can explore this set in the CSG Registry and CSG Population Report.)

Genuine 1967 Topps Baseball #581 Bill Denehy/Tom Seaver Mets Rookies card graded CSG 8 Click images to enlarge.

Both Denehy and Seaver debuted with the Mets in 1967. While Denehy's career involved less than 105 innings pitched in the Majors, Seaver had an All Star career, later playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox. The Mets sent Denehy and cash to the Washington Senators in order to get their manager Gil Hodges. Hodges and Seaver led the "Miracle Mets" to their first World Series win in 1969.

The #581 Bill Denehy/Tom Seaver card is recognized as Seaver's rookie card. The CSG-certified card pictured above is worth thousands of dollars in that grade. Even in the lowest grades, this card is worth hundreds of dollars. Since reprints can be found online for just a few dollars, sports cards enthusiasts are well-advised to get any example that they think is a genuine card authenticated and graded.

CSG recently received a card that, at first glance, looks like a #581 Bill Denehy/Tom Seaver card. Unfortunately for the submitter, this is not a genuine example.

Non-genuine 1967 Topps Baseball #581 Bill Denehy/Tom Seaver Mets Rookies card Click images to enlarge.

A tell-tale sign that this card is not genuine is found by comparing the printed signatures to those on a genuine card. As you can see, the genuine card has its signatures in a solid black, without the shadowing behind the signatures that is present on the fake.

Close-up of the non-genuine card (left) and a genuine card (right) Click images to enlarge.

In addition, this card's weight and stock are not consistent with an authentic card.

CSG uses world-class expertise, advanced technology, innovation and operational excellence to provide sports card collectors and dealers with accurate and consistent certification services. CSG backs these determinations with the industry-leading CSG Guarantee, which adds significant confidence, liquidity and value to the hobby.